Mark Vile, marketing director, Comparethemarket.com, said: ‘We have appointed Freud as our retained communications agency with an extensive brief. We were looking for a strategic comms partner and Freud brings us not just best in class reputation counsel and execution, but a blend of expertise in sponsorship, corporate affairs and CSR platforms, and consumer insight-led campaigns.’

The marketing campaign and comms work on Orlov has helped the comparison site, an offshoot of BGL, more than double its 2008 value of £43m.

However, industry experts pointed to the comms challenge of helping the company beyond the appeal of the meerkat mascot, which has more than 60,000 followers on Twitter.

‘It's a tough beat, because although the meerkat is a fantastic idea, it has a shelf life,’ one agency figure said.